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Mr Chariton's research seems to have
surpassed his ability to compile and present it in an entirely
satisfactory way.In respect to the presentation of the sequence of
sightings, particularly in Texas - the focus of this work, a more
methodical format would have worked better. I think a chronology of
sightings with respective maps would have helped a great deal in
communicating just how peculiar these sightings were, and how they
played out and fit together withinthe few months of 1897.Likewise, I
found myself wondering more about how previous newspaper accounts
were likely to have influenced later sightings - something the
author makes mention of with less than adequate thoroughness.Thus,
my central criticism:obvious dedication to ALL facets of this truly
important and underevaluated series of UFO sightings, somehow
hamstrung in its presentation (publisher's fault, perhaps?) by an
over-reliance on anecdotal information. I wound up wishing that Mr.
Chariton had spent more time thinking through everything he had
gathered together about the airships before finally deciding what to
write.In any case, he deserves praise and respect for avery decent
and worthwhileattempt at so obscure a subject.One final
suggestion:Has anyone attempted to search for any mysterious
explosions that might have occured soon after these sightings? If
there really was a mysterious inventor named Wilson in NY or Iowa or
wherever, perhaps his lab was destroyed in an accident that might
have been recorded subsequently.

Wallace O.
Chariton has written a wonderful resource, (and one of the few
resources), about a great American mystery. Between 1896-1897,
mostly in the west and midwest and Texas, came a flurry of reports
about a cigar-shaped Airship, complete with crew, long before
successful aircraft existed...or so we have thought. While some
details of the Aircraft varied from report to report, there were
startling similarities, this long before TV and radio. Chariton
writes about this great mystery with a sense of fun, awe and
intrigue. He also provides a fascinating window on what life was
like in the late 1890's. What is fascinating about the book are the
startling parallels between the Airship reports and our own Flying
Saucer reports and the almost painful see-sawing between outright
sceptical dismissal and credulity. Chariton provides his reader with
a chronology of events, maps and excerpts from the newspapers of the
day and places you right in the middle of the events, as if you were
there, one of the befuddled witnesses. So what was the Great
Airship? You'll have to read this book and decide for yourself! And
I highly recommend it; this book was a fun and adventurous read and
will leave you wondering...

Chariton offers no explanation for the airship
sightings. He just regurgitates some period newspaper reports then
advises the reader to decide what the airships were while offering
to meet the reader in Aurora, Texas with a jug of Dr. Pepper! Good
grief. After wasting my money on this book, I came across Solving
the 1897 Airship Mystery (Michael Busby). If you want definitive
answers in a tightly wrapped, investigative style format buttressed
by extensive tables, graphs, and details written by an expert then
pass this book by and go for Busby's book. If you want bubble gum
and Dr. Pepper, buy Chariton's book.